If All Had Been Different
by Russet-Stoned
Summary: In a major deviation from canon, Light decides to confront his inner demon, by confiding in his closest enemy-- L himself.
1. Prologue

_**A/N:** My story branches off from the end of the Yotsuba arc, after Light kills Higuchi. As the title suggests, I will rewrite the plotline of Death Note from that point. Some things you should know before you start reading:_

_Light may cry or act slightly feminine when upset. Veerrry slightly, but it's there. Hope you don't mind._

_Contrary to canon, Light and L are still handcuffed together at this point. Keep in mind that where it says "across the room," they are not really very far apart._

_There will be no yaoi. I do enjoy the stuff, but I don't think it fits here. Sorry, boyluv fans. ^_^_

_I hope you enjoy it_!

* * *

**Light and Shadow**

* * *

Light listened, looking shiftily at the floor, as he sensed more than heard the hum of cameras and audio recorders cycling down, and the footsteps of the rest of the investigation crew receding into the distance.

Ryuuzaki looked at him from across an empty room as his computer screen went blank as well. The pressure in the room made the air colder, the fluorescent lights brighter, and Light's skin broke into a freezing sweat.

Finally, the many eyes of the Kira investigation were turned away, if only for a moment. Finally, they were alone.

"Well, Light," Ryuuzaki muttered in that half-amused tone of his, "whatever you have to tell me, do so. I can't keep the others distracted for very long."

Light's mouth felt like sandpaper; his first attempts to speak were unsuccessful. Finally, somehow, he made his lips form words. Forced his voice box into stubborn compliance.

"Ryuuzaki," he whispered, "L."

An interminable pause.

"I'm waiting," the detective answered, with a unique combination of concern and intrigue.

"I am..." he gasped one half of a ragged, high-pitched sob, "I'm Kira."

Ryuuzaki's voice was a whisper, but one decibel above the silence of death.

"...what?"

* * *

_**A/N:** Review, s'il vous plait. Merci beaucoup. :)_


	2. Light and Shadow

_**A/N:** Just so we're all on the same page, this next chapter will take a step back in time, to when Light regained his memory after helping L capture Higuchi, the "Kira" of the Yotsuba group._

* * *

**Light and Shadow**

* * *

_At the moment his skin brushed that other-worldly paper, a well seemed to open up inside his mind, flooding so much information into it that he thought his head must burst from the pressure. Light screamed in physical and mental anguish, and L watched him stoically from the pilot's seat of the chopper._

_It only lasted a few seconds, but in that swirling panorama of all of his forgotten memories, Light saw a monster. The Light Yagami who had worked patiently and dedicatedly at Ryuuzaki's side—both literally and figuratively—for the past three months; who had even befriended the man who had once been, and now was again, his mortal enemy, saw what he feared the most: himself._

_From the moment he emerged, exhausted and wretched, from his monitored prison cell, he had believed, as L did, that Kira must be stopped. He was a criminal; a thief of life, and to be accused of that crime was the most heinous insult he could have ever received, even from his colleague and friend, the world's greatest detective. Although he had sometimes found alarming connections between Kira's "Judgments" and his own reasoning, he quickly set them aside... until now._

_It was this Light Yagami, Ryuuzaki's best and only friend, who screamed in terror at the vision of his own face, this face which smiled and laughed at the sight of death. In these few brief instants, his sanity struggled desperately for control, and lost. A new man, Kira, shoved his way into his mental cockpit, and "Light Yagami" vanished, forced into the blackest confines of his own mind, left there to rot with his battered conscience._

_And he would have died there, if not for..._

* * * * *

"If it hadn't been for you, Ryuuzaki, you would have been killed by Kira by now," Light spoke querulously into the dead room. Tears ran rather unflatteringly down his contorted face as he stared at the floor. "You unwittingly saved yourself, by being such a—a real friend to me."

As dazed as he was, L still managed a small smile. "Why, thank you, Light. I'll take that as a—"

"_DAMN YOU!" _

The voice which now issued from Light Yagami's mouth was no longer apologetic. It was murderous. One look into his face was proof enough that someone else was now in control. His face reddened; his eyes glared rabidly at the hunched silhouette of Ryuuzaki crouched in front of him. With no words strong enough to contain his hatred, he merely seethed and hissed like a geyser about to blow.

"You seem to have some mixed feelings about me, Light-kun," Ryuuzaki commented dryly, still smiling. "Although I had expected something like this to happen."

Steadily, L could sense Kira taking the bait, his curiosity slowly, very slowly, getting the better of his rage. L rose, sauntered the few steps to where Kira stood in Light's shoes, and waited for the hook to catch.

"What are you talking about, L?"

... and there it was. Now they were getting somewhere.

"Come on, Kira. Come have a seat. Let's have some cake."

* * *

_**A/N:** So by now you probably see where I am going with this. Basically, I got this idea that since Light lost his memories of the Death Note and himself (as Kira) when he gave it up, and after that L noticed that he seemed to have become "a completely different person," I thought—what if the re-input of his murderous past so traumatized him that he developed a split personality? I, for one, thought it was odd that Light just "accepted" himself as Kira again (in canon), without being totally stunned that "OMG! I'm Kira? But that... that's impossible!"_

_All right, till next time, then... please review! ^_^_


	3. Let Us Eat Cake

_**A/N:** Sorry for the exceptionally long wait. I was taking, shall we say, a research break. In doing so, I realized that I had forgotten to explain why Ryuk and Rem haven't shown up yet. It is necessary for my story that no shinigami are present during L and Light's talk. I'll get back to them later_.

* * *

**Let Us Eat Cake**

* * *

"What?! Are you serious, Ryuuzaki?"

"Calm down, Matsuda," L spoke into his cell phone. "And yes, I'm serious. Please tell the others that you may all have the afternoon off. Light and I will do a little case work on our own for today."

"But—I, uh... alrigh—"

L clapped the phone shut.

"Now that's taken care of..." he trailed off, leading his enemy by the chain that connected them, "Take a seat, Light, or Kira, whoever you are. Tell me everything."

* * * * *

L looked up at Light—now himself again, if only temporarily—who was seated wearily on the sofa in their shared living room. Two slices of intricately frosted chocolate cake sat before them on the coffee table, untouched. Light stared at his knees.

L swirled his little finger in the pink frosting on his own slice, mopped it up lazily with his tongue, and then seemed to lose interest.

"Are you sure this is safe, Ryuuzaki? I mean, I might try to kill you," Light said, raising the arm from which the chain jangled, as if in illustration.

"I doubt it," L returned. "You know better than I how Kira prefers to work. Writing someone's name and actually killing with one's own hands are two very separate things, at least in the psychological sense. From what I've observed, Kira prefers to do his work from a distance, indirectly."

L paused as his lips ghosted a grin. "However, it is nice of you to show such concern for my well-being."

Light ground his teeth in frustration. Even though he knew that L now held his life in the palm of his hand, he still had to work to keep from shouting at him.

"How can you joke at a time like this?"

"I wasn't joking. Hold still for a moment."

"Wha—"

He was startled by a tug at his wrist. L was pulling the chain that connected the cuffs on their wrists toward him, holding up a key that he must have produced without Light's noticing.

At first Light tried to pull his arm back. L looked up at him pointedly and pulled harder, until he had pulled the cuff around Light's wrist within his reach. He freed Light's end first and then his own, letting the chain slither onto the carpet and laying the key next to the cake.

"I don't get it. Shouldn't you leave the handcuffs on now that you know I'm Kira?"

"No," L replied with finality.

Light watched, anxiously, as L reached for his cake and started toying with it as though Light wasn't there.

Light let out an exasperated sigh. "Why?"

"I put the handcuffs on in the first place because I suspected you of being Kira. Now that I know for sure, they are no longer necessary."

"Oh," Light said sheepishly, "right."

Silence held a few elongated seconds' dominion over the room. The only things to be heard were L's subtle slurping noises as he made love to his cake, and the distant white noise of the outside world.

Light broke the silence first.

"You seem to be taking this whole thing pretty casually, Ryuuzaki."

"I suppose I wasn't entirely unaware of your... division," L said, lapping a speck of sugar from the corner of his mouth.

"Division?"

"After your imprisonment, I observed a drastic change in your personality. Before, you always seemed to give far too much thought to what you said when you were talking to me. The aura you gave off was quite unnerving."

L took note of Light's raised eyebrows, and then continued.

"I'm not talking about the kind of 'aura' that goes along with superstition or the occult. Surely you've sensed Kira's unique presence when he has been in control of your mind?"

Light nodded. He had noticed it; he just didn't know what to call the oppressive, burning feeling that seemed to engulf him whenever Kira took him.

"Really, it was just intuition that led me to believe that your experience with the Death Note had split your mind in two; just as it was my intuition that made me suspect you even after the evidence had vanished. I am known for it, you know," the detective added, with a trace of humor in his eyes.

There was silence for a time as L looked at Light and Light looked at his hands, thinking.

"I chose it..." Light breathed to himself, a tortured frown on his face.

"Hm?"

Light closed his eyes briefly and gathered his thoughts.

"When I first discovered the Death Note's powers—I'm the one who chose to use them, not the shinigami, and not some evil alter ego. It was me."

"Yes..."

"So how is it that I'm—that this 'division' exists? What changed when I took the Death Note back?"

L's thumb molded and toyed with his lips as he considered.

"Yes, I have been wondering the same thing myself," he answered, his thumb relaxing and drawing a slow line down his chin. "And I think I have an explanation."

L pulled a stub of pencil from his pocket and leaned forward to scribble on a dog-eared paper napkin. He slashed a dark line along the napkin's length, then marked and labeled four points along this axis. Light peered quizzically over his shoulder.

"A timeline?"

"Of a sort," L said, drawing a chaotic squiggle between the third and fourth points on his makeshift illustration. That done, he sat back, allowing Light to get a better look.

"This," L explained, indicating the leftmost point, labeled _first possession_, "is when you first began to use the Death Note. Before this point, it's safe to say that you, Light Yagami, were a normal teenager with no homicidal tendencies, yes?"

Light nodded. He was beginning to understand where L was going.

"Once you found the Death Note and began to utilize its powers, you were still essentially the same person, although your personality changed because of your involvement with the supernatural. Although I had not yet met you at this point, it's clear from what you've told me that this is what happened."

Light looked to the next point on the chart, labeled _forfeiture_.

"And this is when I lost my memories of the Death Note."

"Yes. More specifically, to me, it represents the exact moment when your demeanor totally changed during your confinement. It was obvious then that something about you had changed significantly."

"Oh... I see," Light muttered. L was looking too intently at him again, and it made him more than a little nervous.

"At the moment when your memories of the Death Note were extracted, you seemed like a very different person. I think that adds weight to what your father once said about Kira's power."

"You mean... about Kira being evil, but the power to kill being the source of that evil?"

"Precisely."

"And this next dot, _second possession_; that must mean—_ngh_!" Light winced and put a hand to his temple. The room was suddenly too warm.

"What's the matter, Light? Is he coming back?"

"Ye—yes," Light forced, making an effort to calm himself. "I think that memory is... I mean, it makes him—"

"Because that was the first time you recognized Kira as an entity separate from yourself. That makes sense."

"L, you might be in danger. If he takes over again—"

"But he won't. You're stronger than you think you are, Light."

Whether Light heard this or not, L wasn't sure, because the moment he said it, Light put his fists to his temples and screamed like a man in agony. In a panic, he got up and ran out of the room.

He didn't make it far, however. Before Light was two steps down the hallway, L tackled him from behind, and hard. Light's head made an unsettling noise as it connected with the hard tile floor. L flipped the momentarily dazed man onto his back and moved to a kneeling position beside him, placing one hand roughly on Light's shoulder.

"Light, listen to me—" he began, but that was as far as he got. A fist collided with the right side of his head and sent him rolling.

What had begun as a candid conversation had become a slugging match. L didn't want to hurt Light any more than he had to, but he wasn't fool enough to think that Light Yagami was the one he was fighting.

"Damn...you...Kira!" L panted, aiming a powerful kick at his assailant. The blow would have broken a rib or two if Kira/Light hadn't dodged it.

Catlike, L swiveled and kicked again with his other foot. The blow connected with a muted "thump" to his opponent's abdomen, sending him reeling and winded into the wall. But something wasn't right...

L realized too late that, of course, Kira would not fight fair. Taking the blow had allowed him to land directly underneath a small monitor on a shelf mounted to the wall. L had only a moment to regret before Kira smashed the instrument across his face.

It didn't knock him out, but it came close. For a moment his vision dimmed and the left side of his head felt numb, and then, faintly, he felt the sting of cuts that the broken glass and plastic had left in his cheek.

Kira was upon him, straddling him, looking down at him like a lion at its prey. L was still too dazed to move.

"That's right, damn me," Kira gloated, laughing that horrible, squalling laugh. "Curse me all you want, L. But that won't save your life."

His hands were at L's throat; he squeezed, first casually, almost tenderly, then tighter, tighter...

L could have fought him off—Kira had been careless enough to leave his arms free—but instead he lay still and opened his eyes. He stared into Light's eyes, searching, choking as Light's hands strangled him, his friend's hands made to murder him.

Kira was laughing again. L hated nothing in the world more than that sound.

"Why aren't you fighting me, L? Give up already?"

L saw spots dancing at the edges of his vision; his lungs burned for air. Rather than doing what any normal man would have done and clutching at the hands at his neck, he reached up and put his own hands around Kira's/Light's throat. It took so much effort, but he felt if he could hold on a little longer, just a little—

It was obvious that the feel of L's hands made Kira lose focus. He twitched away, and in the brief instant that he lessened his grip on the other man's throat, L took a reviving gasp of air.

"Stop it! Stop it! What're you—!" Kira screamed, words blending into an incoherent, animal yell.

Then Light's hands squeezed harder than ever, and L grimaced in pain. Then the grip slackened again, then returned, fluctuating as Light's body began to shake.

"No, damn it! Stop it! Let go!" Kira's voice—or was it Light's?—shook, wavered; it became a whimper.

"Not until you do, Light," L managed to croak through the weakening hold around his throat.

"No... please..." he shuddered, and now it was clearly Light's voice again, frightened and broken and weak. Light's hands slid off of L's throat at last, planting themselves on either side of the man's head.

L, mystified by what had just happened, moved his hands from Light's neck to his own, gingerly examining the bruises Kira had left. He paused to wipe at the blood on his face, and then at the hot, humiliated tears that fell from Light's face to his.

"Ryuuzaki," Light rasped, mortified, "I...I'm sorry."

L said nothing, only stared.

Unnoticed, the shinigami Rem watched, thinking...

* * *

_**A/N:** I think I scared myself pretty badly with this chapter. Initially, I had planned for this to be just a talkie—y'know, L and Light discuss the problem, what to do, etc. The entire mind-switch/fight/weepy thing kind of happened on its own._

_Light may have seemed extremely OOC to some of you (especially those of you who have not seen episode 37, or read the last few chapters of the manga). I hope to explain this in future chapters. As I said, I did not foresee this when I started! I was holding myself back from making this a shounen-ai fic—I really, REALLY wanted to! And I guess that deprivation may have led to the, er... that is, Light and L wrestling on the floor. Yes. ^_^"_

_And remember: GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO REVIEW!!! :D_


	4. Shinigami Kai

_**A/N:** In which I attempt to fit the shinigami into the story. For some reason, I have difficulty writing non-human characters..._

_The title: "Shinigami Kai" can mean "world of the shinigami," or "shinigami release." Take your pick._

_Spoiler warning: L's real name. Well, not much of a spoiler. I think it could have been much awesomer..._

_Also, at this point in the story, Misa has not yet dug up the Death Note that Light hid, and Ryuk is still in the shinigami world._

* * *

**Shinigami Kai**

* * *

"I'm sorry for any discomfort, Light, but I'm sure you understand..." L trailed off, checking to see that Light's handcuffs were secure before rising again and pacing the floor, appearing deep in thought. Light sat on the floor and leaned against the wall, feeling drained.

"Yeah..." Light forced, barely audible. He twisted his wrists absentmindedly against the metal cuffs behind his back, trying not to dwell on how awkward and humiliating the situation was.

He felt so disgusting, so sick. L had been nothing less than kind to him, even after his other self had made an attempt on his life. When Light had broken down after their fight, L had carefully untangled himself from underneath him—Light still wasn't sure exactly how—and helped him to the bathroom, where he had washed Light's face before cleaning the cuts on his own. That had been strange, far too intimate, and if Light had been more himself, he would never have allowed it.

But this wasn't about just him anymore. Even though he had turned himself in, lives could still be lost if he didn't act soon.

"L," he said softly, "I know I'm in no position to, but can I ask you one favor?"

L paused mid-pace and turned toward Light. His expression revealed nothing, his dark eyes looking critically at Light. He nodded.

"No matter what happens to me, can you please leave Misa out of this?"

The detective's eyes widened and his thumb found his lips again, pushing them into an odd sideways pucker. Light looked at him anxiously.

"Do you really love her that much, Light?" L asked, adding as an afterthought, "She killed people as well."

"That's not what I mean—that I love her, that is. She's just a girl. She's too simple to have made a conscious decision to attempt to purge the world like Kira—like I did. I... misled her."

"That may be true, though that technically makes her an accomplice."

"There's more to it than that," Light insisted. "If you prosecute Misa, you could lose your life!"

L froze. "How so?"

"He is right, L," a darkly female voice supplied from the opposite corner of the room. Slowly, a pale, skeletal form passed through the wall into the room.

"Ah, yes, the shinigami," L mused to himself. "What do you know of this plot to kill me, Rem?"

"There is no plot. Merely this: if you try to hurt Misa, I will kill you, L Lawliet."

Both L and Light started at this last. Light looked from L to Rem and back.

"...Lawliet?"

"Yes, Light, that's my real name," L cut in, already over his surprise. "I'd forgotten you shinigami could see human's names."

Both men looked at the shinigami, but she only stood silently.

"Well...?" L pushed.

"There is nothing to discuss. Either you agree to pardon Misa, or you will die. The same goes for you, Light Yagami. It was noble of you to defend her, but if anything happens to her, you will die as well."

L considered. It was not his policy to let a killer roam free, but if some arrangement could be reached...

"Very well, Rem. I will see to it that Misa is not connected in any way from the Kira case. On one condition."

"You are in no position to set conditions," the shinigami threatened, fingering her Death Note.

"In this case, I think you will agree with me. My condition is that Misa must never again be allowed to regain her memories of the Death Note and possess it—for her own safety, you understand."

Rem stiffened at this remark. "What about the knowledge she currently has of the Death Note?"

L and Light shot a quizzical glance at each other.

"What knowledge?" the two asked, in staggered unison.

"Oh... of course you would not know. While Misa was helping you in the Yotsuba investigation, I showed myself to her, so that she could see that Higuchi was the one using the Death Note. I also told her that Light Yagami was Kira and Misa was the second Kira, though at the time he did not know this."

Light jerked sideways to face Rem. "You told her _that?!"_

L cocked his head. "That certainly explains her insistence that Higuchi was our culprit..." he mused.

"Of course she has to forfeit those memories; that's dangerous for her and everyone else!"

"That is impossible," the shinigami replied. "Those memories can not be removed."

"What? Why?" Light demanded.

"Because Misa does not currently possess a Death Note. Although I touched her with my Note so that she could see me, she did not take possession of it, so those memories are separate from possession of a Note and cannot be removed. It is the same way that the members of the investigation have gained knowledge of the Death Note; that also cannot be forfeited."

"Then what are we supposed to _do_—"

"Light," L interrupted, "calm down. We can figure out something. I certainly do not want to die."

Light said nothing, trying to slow his temper.

"Do I have your word, L Lawliet?" the shinigami asked with a dangerous edge.

L was silent for a moment, thinking. "You have it. No harm will come to Misa. I swear it on my own life."

"And I on mine," Light added. His voice sounded strange to his own ears.

L looked briefly at Light at this unexpected addition, then addressed the shinigami again.

"You have our word. If that is enough for you, then you are free to leave."

"No," Rem replied simply.

"No?" L echoed.

"The Note I gave to Higuchi now belongs to Light. Shinigami are required to accompany their Death Note when it is in the possession of a human. In order for me to leave, Light will have to forfeit that Note and return it to me."

Light stared up at the shinigami, turning this forgotten rule over in his head. "I have to talk to Misa first," he said. "She needs to understand what's going to happen to me—to us—and accept that. Looks like you're going to have to hang around a little longer, Rem."

L watched Light with a mixture of admiration and concern. "It sounds like you've already made up your mind, Light."

"Maybe I have."

* * *

_**A/N:** Nothing to add here, except: review, s'il vous plait!_


	5. Misa

**

* * *

**

Misa

* * *

Light stared at the bright pink cell phone in his hand, thumb resting uncertainly on the 'send' key.

He was out of the handcuffs for now; L had agreed that seeing Light in handcuffs would upset Misa, and anyway, Light had insisted on making the call himself.

And yet, he couldn't quite bring himself to push that button…

"Is something wrong, Light?"

"No, it's not that. I'm just—nervous, I guess."

"Well, then…"

L reached out suddenly and covered Light's hand on the cell phone with his own. Before Light could react, L squeezed, forcing him to press the 'send' button. Light gaped for a second, and then glared at L as he raised the phone to his ear.

"There's no point in wasting time for the sake of nerves," L said, before Misa's voice interrupted him in Light's ear.

"Liiiii-iiiight!" L could hear her sing-song greeting from where he was standing, and Light visibly twitched at the sound. L smirked.

"Yes, hi, Misa," Light responded in the cliché Prince Charming voice that had become a matter of habit in dealing with the girl. "Ah—mm-hmm…yes, well I—could you—uh-huh…"

This girl would talk him to death. Light was sure of it.

"Misa, I want you to come see me. Yes, at headquarters—yes, that's—no, Misa. It's complicated—yes, he's here, too…come on, it's not that bad…just hurry and get here, okay?"

A couple more seconds passed as Misa prattled into Light's ear, then—"Okay, bye—what? Ugh, why?" Light glanced quickly at the other man in the room, looking oddly guilty. "Loveyoutoo," he grimaced. _Click_. _Sigh_.

"What are you smiling about, L?"

"Oh, nothing…"

_Snicker_.

***

She cried. She bawled, and whined, and stomped, and tantrummed, and pleaded and begged. Within the first five minutes of Light's explanation, her eyes were puffy and drowned with tears. Misa was ugly when she cried like that.

Light felt bad for her, but he didn't feel sorry. He knew it would hurt her, but it had to be done. For her own safety, and for his sanity.

"I can't believe you're giving up!" Misa screamed, eyes shut tight in angry hysteria. "What about Kira? What about our new world? What about _us_?"

She stood in that ridiculously feminine fighting stance, feet planted, arms held stiffly out from her sides with her fists clenched, radiating a helpless rage. Light faced her from a few feet away, L stood comfortably at his side, and Rem observed from the corner.

He almost wanted to reach for her; to pretend to comfort her so she would calm down. But that would be wrong. It would only make her cling to Light even more. Instead, he drew himself up and squared his shoulders, exaggerating their size difference. His eyes burned cold.

"Misa, be quiet," he said—no, _commanded_—and the girl stopped short, gaping at the change in Light's tone.

"I want you to forget all about Kira, and about me. And as for the new world—there's no such thing. It was all a lie."

Misa stared at him with terrified eyes, mouth hanging open pathetically. Light began to wonder if she was even breathing, when she let out a breathless squeak. "But…Light…you said—"

"I was wrong."

Light's voice fell strangely, and it caught just slightly in his throat. L heard this falter, and was watching Light's face avidly. _So, even after all that has happened, it still hurts his pride to admit fault,_ he mused. Misa, he was certain, had missed it, but the slight clench in Light's jaw before he had spoken betrayed it—he still had a lot to learn about L's definition of justice.

Meanwhile, Misa was wiping frantically at her eyes, making her lids even redder. There were no tears to wipe away; she had cried herself out already, and was rubbing compulsively in her distress. Her breath jerked sporadically in a series of dry sobs. At least she was breathing, although shallowly.

"Misa," Light continued, his cold façade back in place. "It's over for me, but not for you. You can live your own life now."

The distressed girl started sobbing desperately at this, rubbing her eyes furiously. L began to worry that she would permanently damage her eyesight.

"Please, Ms. Amane, calms down," L admonished, reaching for her hands in an attempt to pull them away from her face. At this, Misa reacted violently, jerking away from L's hands and shrieking as though he were a rapist.

"It's _your_ fault!" she screamed, shoving the man away from her. "What did you do to Light? You made him go crazy!"

"Misa, I'm not crazy—"

"_Shut up_!" she screamed at Light, not turning her attention away from L, who seemed to have a rather passive attitude at her outburst, until—

_Smack_!

One diminutive hand left a glowing red mark across the man's face, and Misa would have followed it up with another if Light had not seized her from behind and pinned her girlish arms. Normally she would have gone quiet at the feel of Light's arms around her, but she was too hysterical now to even notice. She railed mercilessly at L.

"I hate you! I _HATE_ you! You ruined _EVERYTHING_! I—_I'LL KILL YOU_!"

"Not again," L muttered, favoring his left cheek.

"Misa!" Light yelled, cringing at L's words.

And suddenly, Misa fell silent and limp, sagging against Light. _Silence_.

"Misa?" Light coaxed, not having a clear view of her face.

L lifted the girl's chin, then let her head flop back to her chest.

"She's passed out."

Light sighed, lowering the unconscious girl to a sloppy seated position on the sofa.

"Well, I guess it's no surprise, since she was hyperventilating so much."

"Yes…"

There was an awkward pause. L bit lazily at his thumbnail.

"She…actually told me to shut up, didn't she?" Light said, a little humor, of all things, creeping into his voice.

"I believe so…" L responded in characteristically laid-back fashion. He smiled, lips curling up almost wickedly.

Light snickered, then laughed softly—a real, human laugh this time, not Kira's wild, squalling one. L had never heard Light laugh this naturally before. It tickled a long-forgotten spot in him that didn't normally get much attention, and helplessly, he started to join in. First a low, breathy rumble, then a louder, fuller, real laugh, then a _snort_—

_Pause_.

And they were off, two grown men laughing like hyper grade-schoolers for, quite possibly, the most bizarre reason in the world.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ The ending for this chap came totally out of the blue, but I liked it, so I left it in. Leave a review on your way out! Domo! ^_^_


	6. Heart

_**A/N:** I come bearing gifts! A double upload! Enjoy. ^_^_

**Heart**

She woke up a few minutes later, calmer, more rational, and willing to listen. This sudden turnaround in her behavior surprised all present—probably even Misa herself.

Gently—almost as if he really did love her, L thought—Light talked her through it all again, articulating how they had both gone wrong, but that she could have a second chance. She deserved one, he said, and he wanted her to take it, to do something for herself for a change.

Light had told her before that he did not love her—that he could not, it was impossible, it would draw suspicion, and a dozen other reasons he thought but never said. In spite of it all, she loved him in her own gothic-fairy-tale way; her soul depended fully from his ambitions. Now, hearing Light speak with genuine concern about her life—not sweet nothings, not princely lines parroted from Shakespeare or he odd romance film to keep her in line, but as if he really cared—somehow broke the spell that had been on her all this time.

She could never defy the hard, godly face of Kira, could never reject his cold, cunning eyes or his equally heart-stopping lips.

But she could say no to this…this _human_. More importantly, she could say goodbye.

Her tear ducts had recovered enough in the last few minutes that she could squeeze out two solemn tears as she embraced Light one final time. They sat knee-to-knee on the sofa, twisted toward each other so that she could rest her chin almost comfortable atop Light's shoulder. Her lips a scant few centimeters from his ear, she recited the closing line of her act in this drama, as the spotlight winked out at the right hand of Kira.

"Goodbye, Light," she whispered, and even though her voice was hoarse, at least she sounded sure. That was good.

They would never see each other again; she would miss him; she would grieve for him bitterly for a short time, then force herself to forget him forever; in his absence, her heart would always hold a secret ache. She did not say these things; there was no need. If Light guessed her thoughts, he didn't show it. She breathed deeply of his fresh, boyish scent before placing one brief, cherry-tinted kiss on his mouth. She let go, turned away, and from that point on, never looked at Light again.

Both men watched in faint awe as Misa walked haughtily to the door, ignoring L completely. He met Light's gaze briefly—_We two will never understand women_, their eyes agreed—before catching up to Misa in the doorway.

"Allow me to show you out, Ms. Amane," L offered, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder to remind her of his presence.

She wrenched away from him, fixing him with a glare that could have left a lesser man in tears. _Don't you _dare_ talk to me_ was what that look said, or more likely, _Fuck you and go die_. L read both messages loud and clear, but chose to ignore them.

"Please hear me out, Misa-san," he insisted. "There are a few things I would like to explain on the way, so that perhaps you will not have to leave here holding a grudge…"

L's voice, interjected occasionally by Misa's, faded into white noise, then silence as he led the girl away toward the elevators.

Light wondered briefly what L was telling her, deciding it was not meant for him, or nothing of import, or both. If L decided to tell him, he would listen, and that was enough. After all, he no longer had any need to stay one step ahead of the mastermind…

Did he?

_I…know…his…NAME…!_

The almost-sound of a voice, drunk with joy, singing that frightening stanza through his brain. Every note stung like vinegar in an open wound.

No. _No_. He had to fight, to push this demon out before his control started to slip…

But it was ecstasy itself. The demon-god within burned, railed, screamed to get out. Kira seduced him with power and with hot blood, and the seduction was so powerful, so inexorable, so irrevocable that Light had no choice but to bend to its touch. He groaned in agony, in an orgasm of horror, and lost control to Kira's hands.

Kira smiled. He laughed, triumphant.

The watch. _The watch! I'm still wearing it, he didn't look, that fool, that bastard L hasn't a clue._

_He's mine!_

_Pulling once. Twice. Thrice. Four times._

_My salvation springs forth from behind that pristine crystal._

_I prick my finger, slowly, relishing the pressure, the stab, the pain, the rivulet of my life's ink running down the stylus with which I will write the story of my destiny._

_I AM KIRA._

_Die, L. Your life is in my hands, and I alone shall cut it off._

**L**

_Your death._

**L**

_My life. _

**A**

_Your horror._

**W**

_My dream._

**L**

_Your fall._

**I**

_My destiny._

**E**

_Your despair, my triumph._

**T**

_I win._

* * *

_**A/N:**__ I wrote part of this chapter, then watched Sweeney Todd, then completed it. If you've seen the movie, you can probably guess where that break happened. Johnny Depp really brings out the Kira in me (BWAHAHA!)._

_I realize that the first half is repetitive and may seem contradictory to the previous chap as far as Misa's behavior. I have trouble writing Misa, which made this section a bit too choppy, in my opinion. On the bright side, her part in this tale is done. Hurray!_

_Please review, but bear in mind that I will answer no question regarding the outcome of this most recent twisteroo. Tune in for the next chap, do it please ya! ^_^_

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	7. Panic and Pact

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* * *

**

Panic and Pact

* * *

Despair.

Pure, unbridled, debilitating despair.

It rushed to fill Light as the presence of Kira receded as quickly as it had come. With that last act of defiance expended, it seemed that Kira's strength had wilted as quickly as a rose in a microwave.

Instead of feeling stunned and empty, he felt full—stuffed to capacity with sick remorse and terror. _What have I done?_

And then aloud, "Dear God, what have I done?"

There was nothing he could do. It was over. L would die, he would turn himself in—what else could he do? Or he could off himself right here, if he didn't mind being found in such a disgraceful situation.

But it wasn't over yet, was it? _Forty seconds._

He had forty seconds to see him alive again.

Light wasn't thinking. If he had, he would know that there was no way running after L would change anything. It would only prolong his terror. This, however, was no time to think.

Shaking terribly, nearly falling over, Light stood and coaxed his jellied legs to run. He half-lurched, half-sprinted down the hallway, trying desperately to make his limbs comply with the command to _move, run._

He reached the elevator in record time, pounding the down button viciously. He didn't feel the rim of metal around the button scrape the skin from his knuckles; he wouldn't have cared if he had.

L would only just be getting to the bottom now; the car would have to rise 8 stories to reach him; he couldn't wait that long. He couldn't stand here while L was dying, even if L didn't even know it yet.

He ran for the stairs, threw the stairwell door open so violently that it bounced back and hit him in the foot as he practically dove down the first flight of seven that lay before him.

He took the steps two, then three at a time, not bothering to mind his feet, not thinking about how many bones he could potentially break if he lost his footing. There was no time.

Three flights left. Now two. He seized the railing, swinging himself down that last flight of steps. His panic got the best of him, and he tripped. It was very lucky that the door at the bottom of the stairs was open. Light tripped a mere six steps from the bottom, turned his ankle, and executed a haphazard bear roll to the bottom. His momentum sprawled him out into the hallway, where he promptly retched on the smooth tiled floor. Fortunately, he hadn't eaten for a few hours, and his nausea was mercifully brief. He mustered what was left of his breath for one pleading yell. L, he tried to scream, but what came out was…

"_AHH—HELLLL!"_

L, who had just bidden Misa a brief but kind farewell at the building's front entrance, heard the call and wheeled around, startled. He sprinted to the bottom of the stairwell, in time to see Light getting hastily to his feet, limping and breathless.

"Light? What—"

He was stopped by Light's hands on his shoulders. The unexpected weight made L stagger back against the wall. Light, he saw, was swaying dizzily, and was holding onto L's shoulders just to stay standing. His breath smelled of sick.

"L—I didn't," he spluttered, choking on his breath, "he—took—took me…couldn't stop—L!"

At this, L noticed that, once again, desperate tears were brimming from Light's eyes. Terrified, _terrifying_ eyes.

"Light, what did you do?"

The man in question seized him abruptly, buried his face against L's neck and his hands in his coarse hair, and sobbed helplessly.

"What did you _do_?!"

He saw the blood on Light's hands, saw the broken crystal on Light's watch, and knew all too well.

"Light—no…" he whispered, the words slipping out haplessly on a sigh. He placed his left hand thoughtlessly around Light's waist—_comforting my own murderer_, he thought—and reached for Light's bloodied left hand with his right. His arm was limp to L's touch; L could feel the despair radiating from the man, could even feel it spreading into himself like a contagion. He lifted Light's wrist in front of his face, dreading what he would see on that tiny scrap of paper in his watch. He, like a fool, had overlooked it, and now he would pay for his carelessness with his life.

He took one more look at Light's tortured, tear-ridden face before he looked at Light's watch. He knew it would be the last time he could ever pretend to see Light as an innocent man.

_L Lawliet_. Written there in his best friend's blood, that name just looked dirty. L stared at it, and then stared emptily through the opposite wall. _I'm really going to die…_

Meanwhile, Light was still leaning heavily against him, breathing that puke-smell onto his hair. He looked so pathetic. L couldn't manage to muster any pity for him. He removed his hand from Light's waist, seized a handful of his hair, and yanked.

Light gasped, the pain interrupting his sobs. L pulled his head back until he was forced to look straight into the detective's eyes.

"Light, how long has it been since you wrote my name?" His voice was just as strong as it normally was. It did not tremble, break, or contain any hint of inflection. To L, it sounded as if his own voice came to him from the other side of a solid brick wall.

Light just stared at him, still disoriented from panic and pain. "I…I don't…"

L slapped him. _Hard_. "How long!?"

Light brought up a hand to massage his face, but quickly looked at his watch to check. He froze.

"It's been…it's been almost two minutes," he breathed, staring at the second-hand on his watch. Of course it had been. There was no way he could have run down seven flights of stairs, vomited, and called for L in less than forty seconds. What was he thinking? _But that means…_

Light felt a huge gush of relief flood through him. His knees buckled, and he slid down the wall to the floor. L sank down next to him, pressing his back against the wall, his hand resting absentmindedly on Light's shoulder.

"Two minutes…" L pressed his thumb to his lips as they curled upward in a hopeful smile, then turned down again. "Light, you didn't put any special instructions with my name, did you?"

"No," Light replied. He was also smiling, but it was a sad, tortured smile. His friend wasn't going to die, it seemed, but he had still tried to kill him. "But I know that paper is a piece of the real Death Note, so how…?" A thought struck him. "Did you replace it with—"

"No," L interrupted. "I had completely forgotten about the paper hidden in your watch, and if I _had_ remembered and removed it, there would be no need to plant a fake. You know that."

"Oh…yeah," Light grunted, feeling pathetic and stupid now. "But then, that doesn't explain how…"

"Perhaps it was a miracle, Light-kun."

Light twisted around to look in the man's face and saw that he was smiling good-humoredly.

"Are you serious?"

"Why would I not be?"

Light had no answer to this. It certainly did seem like a miracle. Up until now, the Death Note had proven infallible.

"Maybe…maybe it _was_."

They looked at each other for a moment, then looked at the opposite wall, both of them deep in thought. Of course, they were both occupied with the same puzzle: The Mystery of the Malfunctioning Death Note. Light, however, had more to say.

"L," he spoke softly, breaking the silence as gently as possible.

L turned slightly toward him, thumb still hovering in its usual position by his mouth. "What is it, Light?"

"I am sorry."

L was silent, looking at him. Light still stared straight ahead, struggling for the next word.

"I..I know that it's not enough, given everything I've done, and now this…it'll never be enough, but—"

"It's enough for me."

Light turned to look him in the eye, looking awestruck. "What?"

"I forgive you. Your apology is enough for me, Light."

"But I—"

"I wasn't finished," L cut in sharply, causing Light to wince. "It's enough for _me_, Light, but that doesn't mean one '_sorry'_ is going to be enough for the entire world. Do you understand?"

L looked pointedly at Light. There was a thread of contempt in that stare, and Light had to force himself to meet the other man's eyes.

"Yes," he whispered, then hesitantly continued. "I understand. I guess I knew I would have to face justice eventually."

"And to think, you once believed Kira was justice."

Light winced, looking away. _That hurt._ "Yeah, but…" his words trailed away.

"But what?" L insisted.

Light didn't respond, still looking pointedly away from L. The detective seized the young man's shoulders and twisted them toward himself, forcing Light to face him.

"Say it. You need to."

As much as he hated to say those words, he couldn't fight the intensity in those shadowy eyes. "But…_I was wrong_," he forced out. It felt like vomiting jagged stones. "Why are you smiling? Do you actually _enjoy_ belittling me?"

L realized he _was_ smiling; he hadn't noticed until Light had mentioned it. He tried to bring the corners of his mouth back to a more appropriate expression as he replied, "It's not belittling; I'm just trying to break your ego back down to a healthy size. Your pride is the first thing that has to go if this is going to work."

Light's voice took on a tone of suspicion. "If _what_ is going to work?"

"We will talk about that later. For now, we have another mystery to solve: why didn't your Death Note have any effect on me?"

Light scoffed, his usual cynicism recovering in record time. "I thought you said it was a miracle."

"That is one possibility; it is not the only possibility. Let's start by going back to our room on the eighth floor, since that's where you wrote my name, correct?"

Light nodded. L stood and offered his hand to his friend. Light at first declined, but his ankle protested painfully on his way up and he decided that taking L's hand wasn't such a bad idea after all. The two headed toward the elevators, Light leaning reluctantly on the detective's slumped shoulders as he limped along beside him.

* * *

_**A/N:** Shounen-ai fans, please say "aww." Very good. The next chap, hopefully, will explain the previous two. Til then…review please! ^_^_


	8. 0,06

_**A/N: **It's been a good week for turning points. By the way, there's some important goings-on in this chap, so pay attention. There will be a quiz later. Extra points if you catch the Princess Bride moment. Hehehe. I'm such a sap._

**

* * *

0.06**

**

* * *

**

It was a few seconds' elevator ride back to the eighth floor, another awkward three-legged shuffle down the hall, and Light and L were in the living room again, allowing themselves a minute breather before analyzing the situation. They paused for a moment, L supporting Light with a clumsy hand around his shoulders, the silence remaining undisturbed between them. L glanced briefly at his—well…friend, enemy, prisoner, or whatever he was—and guided him toward the sofa. At least, that was what he meant to do. The motion caught Light by surprise; he tripped, fell against the detective, and the pair went down like a straw house on fire.

How they landed, however, was not the issue. It was what they landed in. L noticed it as he helped Light up—a fine, chalky powder smeared the back of his thigh. He saw some on Light as well, but he didn't feel at liberty to brush it away, considering where it was.

"You might want to get that…" L said vaguely, gesturing toward Light's posterior.

"Hm? Oh…thanks."

As Light brushed himself off, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Something black and angular peeked out of the crease where the floor met the wall. He bent down to get a better look, but the motion sent a flare of pain through his ankle, and he almost fell again. Fortunately, L was there to catch him.

"What is it?"

Light indicated the triangular object on the floor. "I'm not sure, but I have an idea. Help me down."

"As you wish," L muttered, lowering Light to the floor.

Light grasped the corner of the thing, lifted it just slightly, and let it fall back down. With just the one touch, he knew exactly what it was.

"It's Rem's Death Note. And it's inside the wall."

"Yes, I thought so," L sighed, bending down to retrieve the Note. Light thought he detected a hint of arrogance, but coming from L it wasn't all that surprising.

The Death Note slid easily out of the wall, with no resistance whatsoever. Light reached for it as soon as it was free, but L stopped him with a hand.

"Wait. I want to try something."

L brought the Note back to the wall and attempted to push it inside. Apparently, the Note's power to pass through objects had disappeared now that in was in human hands. L paused for a moment, then reached for a pinch of the white dust on the floor.

"What are you—"

"Ssh."

L dusted one corner of the Note with the powder and slid it into the wall. It only went in as far as the dust covered, and then stopped. He pulled it out, then tried pushing his own dusty fingers through the barrier. They also passed through easily, but L immediately gasped and pulled his hand back, cradling his fingers.

"What happened?" Light asked, anxiously. "Did it hurt?"

"Yes—no. Well…not exactly. It was more of a bitterly cold sensation, like a shock. It felt as if…as if…" L trailed off, not finding the right words.

"As if it didn't belong there," Light finished. He wasn't sure why he said it; it just sounded right.

"Exactly. Which it didn't, of course. Which means that this stuff…" he flicked a few grains of powder from his fingers, "used to be the shinigami known as Rem."

Light started to nod, then stopped. He didn't remember telling L that particular detail about a shinigami's death.

"How did you know?"

"It was pretty obvious, once you put all the details together. Shinigami can pass through walls, so Death Notes can too—at least while a shinigami is carrying them. The Death Note was inside the wall, which means a shinigami must have put it there. And Rem doesn't seem like the type who would leave her Death Note unattended."

"Ah. Guess I shouldn't have asked."

"Yes, it did seem unnecessary to explain," L said, rolling his eyes upward in his odd way, "but Light-kun asked, so I answered."

"Fine," Light sighed, defeated. "But we're getting distracted, anyway. If this is Rem, then I think what's important is inside the notebook."

L stared pensively as Light flipped through the notebook, watching page after page of names, written in a strange and spidery hand. Some were written in languages and alphabets he could not hope to recognize. He even thought he saw a few famous historical figures written in there.

"Here!" Light exclaimed, coming to a page that was mostly blank except for a few scribbled words. Then, "What the…?" The latter came out as a whisper, an amazed gasp that never made it to the last word.

L's name was written in the Death Note. Underneath it, at the bottom of the page, was scrawled:

_"LY, I have spared your life. Use it w"_

Silence reigned for a long moment as the two men, one sitting and one crouching, read that page over and over, trying to make sense of it. Finally, hesitantly, Light spoke.

"Maybe there's a rule about this. There has to be. That if a name is written in two Death Notes, they'll cancel each other out or something."

"That seems to be the case," L agreed. "At least, I certainly hope so. But there's another way of looking at this," he continued, with a slightly disturbing twinkle in his eye.

"I'm listening."

"What do you think someone on the task force would think of this message, if he didn't know about anything that happened here today?"

Light considered for a moment. "He'd probably think you had been killed, and that whoever did it didn't know my full name or face yet. The message could be his way of saying that I was next."

"Yes, I think so too, although if we used that as a ruse, I believe people would eventually see through it. It does give me an idea, though…" L trailed off, with a dangerous look on his face.

This whole conversation was making Light very nervous. Still, he tried to sound nonchalant as he asked, "L, do you mind telling me what you're talking about, exactly?"

L turned to Light and looked him so squarely in the eye, it was unnerving. "Well, Light, it looks like the Kira case is solved, at least in human terms. I think it's about time for the two of us to die."

Light gaped. "You can't be—"

"I am quite serious," the wild-eyed detective interrupted, "though not in the way you think. But first things first. Help me find a jar. I think that powdered shinigami might come in handy."

* * *

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	9. Camp

_**A/N:** I'm back. Yes, I'm still alive. Yes, it has been a very, very, very long time. A lot of things have happened. But I still love this story, and I want to see it finished someday. This is a taste of what is yet to come. I will likely replace this chapter with a longer version once it comes together._

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**Camp**

* * *

"I wonder what they're thinking."

"Hm?" Light rolled over to face L. They were tucked into twin sleeping bags, in a small camouflage tent, in the middle of the woods.

"The rest of the investigation team," L clarified. "I wonder what they think of the spectacle we left for them."

"Knowing them, that's pretty predictable," Light sighed. He didn't know why L seemed so talkative.

"Light-kun is no fun."

Light reclined, his head resting on his arms resting on the floor of the tent, exhausted. He didn't really want to have this conversation. It had been an exhausting day. The most exhausting day of his entire life, hands down.

"Fine, then," he submitted. "I'm sure Matsuda's making crackpot theories, my dad is making halfway-decent theories, and Aizawa is making convincing theories about what kind of drugs Matsuda's mother was on all those years ago."

L chuckled. "You have a unique sense of humor. I don't understand why you don't use it more often."

"I guess I never really thought of joking as useful. Save it for the clowns and late night talk shows. Anyway, can we please just sleep? I've dealt with enough to day."

"Yes, we certainly had a lot of cleaning up to do. And it's far from over," L mused, sounding genuinely happy about the latter. "The next step is to find the other Death Note, and then maybe we can get closer to finding the answer."

Light sighed. There was no shutting L up, it seemed. "What answer? You mean finding out why you didn't die, or finding out what caused you to go insane enough to bring a murderer with you on a camping trip?"

"You know it's more than that," L calmly returned. "This is by far the most intriguing mystery that I, or possibly anyone in the history of the world, have ever encountered. At every turn, I'm learning more and more about magic notebooks, gods of death and where they come from. We could discover proof of other worlds or even modes of reality. There is much more at stake here than in a murder case. This could break the modern understanding of universal physics. I'm surprised you don't immediately see the value in that."

Light rolled away from L again, bunching the top of his sleeping back to form a makeshift pillow. "I'm sure I'll see it once I've had some sleep. Goodnight, L. Don't let him kill you."

L was finally silent. Light couldn't see him, but he knew what he was doing; gazing with those ghoulish eyes at the thin canopy separating the two of them from the naked night, and pondering. Light knew their minds worked similarly, but L always had that enigmatic way of staring into space when he was deep in thought that made his thinking sessions look so much cooler. A few minutes later, just as Light was about to fall asleep, L spoke softly into the night:

"Rem killed Hitler."

Light didn't want to ask. He really didn't. But Light knew that L knew that a comment like that couldn't go left alone.

"What?"

"She did," L insisted. "I saw it there, in her Death Note earlier today. Adolf Hitler, suicide. That woman Eva, too. What an interesting monster Rem must have been."

"Go to sleep, L."


	10. Hints and Traces

**Hints and Traces**

* * *

"Oh my god…"

"Matsuda, cut it out. That's at least the fourth time you've said that, and it's not getting us anywhere."

"Sorry, Aizawa-san."

The room was a mess, and that was an understatement. Papers were strewn everywhere, some crumpled and torn. L's computer and entire bank of TV screens had been smashed and thrown to the floor. A teacup lay in shards next to L's swivel chair, its contents pooled around the ruined electronics.

"All our evidence…" Matsuda moaned, pulling his hair.

"Is most likely still here," Yagami finished. "You know we backed everything up with hard copies. We may have lost the video footage, but all the details have been recorded. It's just a matter of cleaning up."

"But that'll take forever!"

"Then get started. Aizawa, Ide, you too."

"Yes, chief," Matsuda muttered.

"Mogi, come with me. We need to find L and my son. And it's very possible that whoever did this is still in the building as well."

"Right." The two of them headed toward the stairs, Mogi casually undoing the clip on his gun, the chief glaring daggers at nothing in particular. The stairwell door clapped shut behind them and the three others were left scooping up debris in awkward silence.

"Uh…too bad we don't have a broom, huh, guys?"

"Shut up, Matsuda."

"Sorry, sorry!"

Ten minutes later, Mogi and the chief stood in the doorway of the room on the eighth floor that L and Light had occupied not long before.

As impossible as it seemed, the room was in even worse shape than the one downstairs. The furniture was not smashed; however, several items had been knocked over, and there were definite signs of struggle.

Yagami walked slowly to the crumb-strewn coffee table. A half-eaten slice of cake had been smeared hap-hazardly across the glass surface, the dish overturned and chipped on the floor. A small clump of black hair stood out on the pale upholstery of the sofa. And some of a more chestnut shade…

There was blood. Streaks, spots, and a mottled red fingerprints decorated the sofa and carpet nearby. It wasn't caused by a deep wound, judging by the amount, but it looked like someone had at least taken several scratches. Chief Yagami stared at the scene in disbelief, his jaw involuntarily falling open. What could possibly have happened…?

"Chief?"

Mogi was standing near the wall, crouching next to something lying on the floor. "I think you'd better come look at this."

The trance broke, and Shoichiro moved to see what Mogi was looking at: a black book, lying in a pile of dust, opened to a mostly blank page…

"The Death Note," Mogi sighed, lifting the book off the ground so Yagami could read what it said. "What do you think it means?"

The chief's eyes grew wide as he read what the shinigami's spidery hand had written. "I don't know…I'm afraid to know. But I do know one thing…"

"What's that, sir?"

"I know my son is still alive. Come on. We need to go show the others."

* * *

In the woods west of Aoyama, the night was still, moist and utterly black. The tent was silent, except for the breathing of the two men in it. Or rather, two men and one monster.

_This is it. This is the perfect chance. Take him now, kill him now, and become god once again. Working from the shadows, anonymous but all-powerful, unseen yet all-seeing._

There was a muted rustle of cloth as the sleeping bag was pushed aside. Slender, agile hands walked their way across the floor of the tent, testing the ground, reaching toward the thin body, the rising and falling chest, the pale throat of the enemy.

_He's left himself open, even after all that. What a fool. Don't worry, L, I'll put you out of your misery…_

L's eyes snapped open. They stared at each other, the man and the monster. Then Kira pounced.

"_Oomf!"_

Just before his hands could reach L's throat, Light face-planted on the ground. L sat up slowly, calmly, still staring at the killer now prostrated next to him. Slowly, he brought his thumb to his lower lip, molding it sensuously before speaking:

"It seems that Kira does not give me enough credit. You'll find your ankles are fastened quite securely to a stake in the ground. It's fortunate for me that Light-kun is such a heavy sleeper, or I never would have managed it."

Kira said nothing, only let out an angry breath. L couldn't see his face, but saw that his ears and neck had grown quite red. Playfully, L reached out and tousled his chestnut hair. As soon as he did, Kira seized his arm, clearly trying to pull L within strangling distance. The detective ended that with a swift kick to the head before scooting safely out of range.

"Ah, see, now look what you've made me do," L sighed nonchalantly. "That's going to leave a bruise, and I don't think Light will be happy about that. Now, why don't you go ahead and go to sleep so Light can come back and yell at me for it?"

_"You will die,"_ Kira hissed. He lifted his head just enough to send a burning glare in L's direction. His eyes were murder.

L leaned casually to the side, reaching for the zip on his tattered hiking bag. He rummaged in the bag with one hand as his other thumb traced circles on his chin.

"Of course I will," L mused. "And so will you, and every living thing on this planet. We were all dying from the day we were born…"

Just as the detective was ending this speech, Kira yanked the tail of L's sleeping back violently toward him, bringing L once again within the range of his attacks. Before he could strike the first punch, though, he felt something stick firmly in his shoulder. He turned to the source of the pain, and L threw himself on top of him, pinning him. Through the gathering fog of his escaping consciousness, Kira made out the form of a syringe sticking out of his right arm.

_Damn…damn, I…couldn't…d_...

L rolled off of Light's body as soon as he was sure Kira had lost consciousness. Calmly, he rolled Light back into his own sleeping bag, then pulled his bag back to its previous position. After checking to see that the tether around Light's feet was still secure, he lay down on top of his bag, staring at the canvas roof of the tent.

He wanted to sleep, but sleep would not come. So he just lay there, and stared, and pondered, taking in the sound of his drugged companion's breathing. The night dragged on.


End file.
